the airline will form a committee which would look into the problems of the pilots

The two sides had held negotiations for over eight hours in New Delhi earlier Friday in the presence of Chief Labour Commissioner S.K. Mukhopadhyay. But neither side gave up its stand.

During the five-day impasse, 1,058 flights were cancelled, causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers, especially during the first two days of the agitation -- when the pilots started reporting 'sick'.

The airline management had also moved the Bombay High Court, which passed an order Wednesday, restraining the pilots from resorting to any form of agitation. Subsequently, the airline also filed a contempt petition, slated to be heard Monday.

The government sought to intervene in a limited manner when Home Secretary G.K. Pillai asked the states to examine if they can invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act.